Weathermen across the Northeast were declaring 'mea culpa' on Tuesday after terrifying predictions of 3-feet of snow and hurricane-strength winds failed to materialize for much of the region.

Tens of millions of people, from southern Pennsylvania to Maine, hunkered down for a storm that for most failed to live up to predictions that it would be one of the worst they'd ever seen.

Forecasters originally said the storm could bring 1-3 feet of snow and punishing hurricane-force winds in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania with authorities describing it as 'historic'.

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A homeless woman drags a sack of belongings on Wall Street during a light snowfall on Tuesday. The 20 inches of snow predicted for New York City failed to materialize

Historic storm, what historic storm? New England was still facing blizzard conditions on Tuesday but much of the Northeast which had been threatened with an unprecedented storm emerged relatively unscathed

The National Weather Service said Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, could get the most snow, about 2 feet.

In places like Cape Cod and Plymouth, Massachusetts, more than two feet of snow had fallen in a blizzard that continued to pound the region on Tuesday afternoon.

New York was threatened with predictions of 10-20 inches, Hartford, Connecticut, 1-2 feet, and Philadelphia and central New Jersey about 6 inches.

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But early Tuesday, they downgraded most of those numbers, saying New England would fare the worst - but even then not as bad as expected.

Some Eastern Pennsylvania weather forecasters threw up their hands and admitted on their Facebook page: 'We are throwing in the towel on this system.'

The post continued: 'We blew the call, and everyone blew it - and amending or lowering your original call is not nailing it either. No one got this right, plain and simple.

One New Jersey weatherman took to Twitter late on Monday night to admit that he had got the forecast wrong - and he wasn't alone

Another meteorologist posted a social media mea culpa late on Tuesday night as residents in the tri-state area stared out the window and wondered what happened to the 'historic' storm

New York Metro Weather service also held their hands up to a skewed prediction for New York City- but they hadn't missed the mark on the greater Northeast region where some places saw more than 2 feet of snow

'So although we put countless hours of time and effort into this one, we failed. Yes we got and will get snow, but nowhere close to the epic amounts that up until today looked to be spot on.

'So this is our 'man-up' post. It wasn't hyped, it wasn't sensationalized. It was the right call from a physics and forecasting standpoint, but in the end, mother nature humbled us.'

New Jersey meteorologist, Gary Szatkowski, also tweeted his apologies: 'My deepest apologies to many key decision makers and so many members of the general public.

'You made a lot of tough decisions expecting us to get it right, and we didn't. Once again, I'm sorry.'

According to Accuweather, one of the biggest decisions in forecasting the weather is whether to trust the American or European model - and with winter storm Juno, they both predicted different outcomes.

Occuweather tweeted: 'The Euro model, the most reliable of them all, has failed.Will the city see a foot of snow?Probably. But all of us have failed to an extent.'

While NY Metro Weather added: 'Still, blame is on us as meteorologists - can't be placed anywhere else. It is a difficult day for us any time a forecast does not work out.'

A stream of usually reliable meteorologists came out and tweeted their apologies for getting the forecast wrong - and the public were mostly gracious in their responses

Grand Central Station was mostly deserted on Tuesday lunchtime after travel bans over night on Monday clearly had a knock-on effect and kept most people at home

Although parts of the Northeast were only sideswiped by the so-called 'historic storm', Connecticut was battered by snow and high winds (pictured on Tuesday)

A man walks in the cold weather along the snow-covered boardwalk on Tuesday morning in Atlantic City, New Jersey

The National Weather Service over the weekend had issued a blizzard warning for a 250-mile swath of the region, meaning heavy, blowing snow and potential whiteout conditions.

Mayor de Blasio was defiant and unapologetic on Tuesday morning, saying that forecasts across the board has predicted 2 feet of snow, adding: 'We did what was necessary to keep everyone safe...This is a better safe than sorry scenario.'

By midday, snow had slowed to a light flurry in New York City and the temperature hovered around 25F.

Travel bans on the roads had been lifted for the majority of New York counties and New Jersey.

Long Island, which was battered by the storm overnight, had travel restrictions lifted - even though some places, like the town of Islip, got around 20 inches of snow.

The highest snowfalls in New York City were reported in eastern Queens and at LaGuardia Airport which saw almost 12 inches of snow - a decent amount, but far from a historic storm in the Big Apple.

Mayor de Blasio has come in for criticism following precautions which basically shut down the city.

On Monday, life abruptly stopped across the region as officials ordered workers to go home early, banned travel, closed bridges and tunnels, and assembled their biggest plowing crews.

'When you wake up in the morning, it is going to look like a blizzard,' said Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, echoing the concern of many government leaders.

Light snow fell steadily early on Tuesday in midtown Manhattan as a few municipal trucks rumbled down empty streets.

The city had an almost eerie, post 9/11 feel to it: No airplanes in the sky. An unexpected quiet.

More than 7,700 flights in and out of the Northeast were canceled, and many of them may not take off again until Wednesday. Schools and businesses let out early.

The shutdown in the entire New York public transport network meant that some commuters were forced to take alternative measures, such as this gentleman picture cross-country skiing in Central Park West

Charlie Glover leaves a two foot tall path as he uses a snow blower to dig himself out of the snow on Tuesday in Bedford, Massachusetts

Government offices closed. Shoppers stocking up on food jammed supermarkets and elbowed one another for what was left. Broadway stages went dark.

Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to go home and stay there, adding: 'People have to make smart decisions from this point on.'

In New Jersey, plows and salt spreaders remained at work on the roads on Monday night in Ocean County, one of the coastal areas that was expected to be among the hardest hit.

There was a coating of snow on the roads but hardly any vehicles were traveling on them, as residents seemed content to stay indoors and monitor the storm in comfort.

Most businesses in the area had gone dark, including some convenience stores and gas stations.

On Wall Street, however, the New York Stock Exchange said it would operate normally on Tuesday as well.

Coastal residents braced for a powerful storm surge and the possibility of damaging flooding and beach erosion, particularly in New Jersey and on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Officials in New Jersey shore towns warned people to move their cars off the streets and away from the water.

Utility companies across the region put additional crews on standby to deal with anticipated power outages.

A woman walks across a nearly-deserted Madison Avenue on Tuesday morning following a no-heavier-than-usual snowfall for January in New York. Weather forecasts admitted that they had got predictions of the 'historic' storm off the mark